Achieving your New Year’s resolution to lose weight starts with healthier eating.
Porcupine Health Unit registered dietitian Kaitlyn Comeau cautions that that doesn’t mean dropping all your bad eating habits at the same time… and switching totally over to healthier ones. She says it’s a gradual process composed of goals that are smart, easy and realistic. It could be as easy as starting by replacing your daily can of pop with a glass of water.
“So sticking with small, simple goals,” she reiterates. “It’s more motivating and encouraging when you complete these. You’re more likely to stick to them.”
Comeau says it’s a gradual process, that could start with giving up your daily can of pop for a glass of water, and building from there.
There will likely be setbacks, so Comeau advises you to write a list of goals, and things that could prevent you from reaching them.
“So let’s say if your goal was to eat more vegetables,” she notes,” and that’s really hard to do if there’s none in the fridge. So make sure that you have canned or frozen veggies on stock in your cupboard or your freezer for those days where you don’t feel like going and buying some.”
Comeau adds that exercise is also important.
“It does help with chronic disease prevention,” she says, “you know obesity, some types of cancers, diabetes. So you definitely want to keep moving, of course, even if it’s just a small goal. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym. It could be taking a walk around a couple blocks, just enough to get you moving and away from the TV as well.”